damper

[ dam-per ]

noun

1. a person or thing that damps or depresses:

   His glum mood put a damper on their party.

2. a movable plate for regulating the draft in a stove, furnace, etc.
3. Music.
   1. a device in stringed keyboard instruments to deaden the vibration of the strings.
   2. the mute of a brass instrument, as a horn.
4. Electricity. an attachment to keep the indicator of a measuring instrument from oscillating excessively, as a set of vanes in a fluid or a short-circuited winding in a magnetic field.
5. Machinery. a shock absorber.
6. Australian.
   1. a round, flat cake made of flour and water, and cooked over a campfire.
   2. the dough for such cakes.

damper

/ ˈdæmpə /

noun

1. a person, event, or circumstance that depresses or discourages
2. put a damper on
   to produce a depressing or inhibiting effect on

   the bad news put a damper on the party

3. a movable plate to regulate the draught in a stove or furnace flue
4. a device to reduce electronic, mechanical, acoustic, or aerodynamic oscillations in a system
5. music the pad in a piano or harpsichord that deadens the vibration of each string as its key is released
6. any of various unleavened loaves and scones, typically cooked on an open fire

Word History and Origins

Origin of damper¹

First recorded in 1740–50; damp + -er ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see put a damper on .

Example Sentences

Productions have increasingly opted to film in other states due to higher tax incentives, putting a damper on California’s signature film and TV industry.

From Los Angeles Times

The wheat he grows to feed his pigs will be smaller, and damper, than he would like.

From BBC

"These agencies have an internal professional culture. I want to be a good economist, I want to be a good lawyer, I want to be a good scientist, and so that my reputation in the profession is respected. If I'm under the gun all of the time, that's going to put a real damper on how I could actually do my work."

From Salon

The Betts injury, which came on the same day the Dodgers put pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the 15-day injured list because of a rotator-cuff strain, put a damper on an otherwise successful afternoon for the Dodgers.

From Los Angeles Times

Patch said the recent killings “won’t put any damper” on those who surf crowded spots near Rosarito, but he fears that tourism will suffer.

From Seattle Times